The underlying computer networks that support cloud computing can be divided into two major categories: intra-datacenter and inter-datacenter. Intra-datacenter networks interconnect the computing infrastructure (servers, disks) within the same building or among different buildings of a datacenter campus, while inter-datacenter network refers to connections from metropolitan to long-haul reach interconnecting multiple datacenters distributed at different geographic locations. Many modern high-speed data links use optical transmission technologies via optical fibers for both intra- and inter-datacenter networks.
Most of the actual computing and storage underlying the internet and cloud computing takes place in warehouse-scale data center buildings. Most of the long-haul links transferring data and requests back and forth between end users and data centers are switched through Internet points of presence (POP). Both environments must transfer a tremendous amount of data between individual computers and the switches responsible for getting the data to its destination. Data centers often contain predetermined topology structures for switching and interconnecting internet data to determine a given destination.
Data centers may implement optical circuit switches including several optical ports to interconnect electrical packet switches and hosts where the interconnections are not predetermined and may be altered depending on data traffic. In many cases, optical circuit switches (OCS) in such data centers must be initialized prior to being used in the data center. Initialization may include verifying connections between electrical packet switches and host servers (e.g. verifying proper cabling) and confirming OCS optical ports associations with particular hosts.
Typically, packet switches transmit a connectivity verification packet such as an address resolution protocol (ARP) request or an internet control message (ICMP) request. However, for such connectivity methods to work, each host in a sub-network, such as a data center, must be configured with a unique internet protocol (IP) address that is known in a central database, for example, as assigned by the dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP). However, in the case of some dynamic OCS implementations used in emerging data centers, the wiring of each host to a respective OCS port must be verified prior to determining IP addresses for hosts in the sub-network.